1870Infrastructure
In 1870—as the H&TC was laying track in Ellis County—residents of the neighboring city of Waxahachie refused to give bonds to the railroad and resisted the development of a rail...
1871Military
== History ==
In 1871, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad (H&TC) arrived at the spot that would become Ennis as it built north towards Dallas.
1874History
Between 1874 and 1890, the population of Ennis grew tenfold from around 300 to 3,000.
1879Architecture
Construction was completed in 1879, establishing a 13-mile connection across Ellis County between both cities.
1881Government
In 1881, the railroad was reorganized into the Central Texas and Northwestern Railway and secured state legislation permitting the railroad to build out west into the Panhandle,...
1882Architecture
In 1882, the H&TC began construction on a spur line to span over 100 miles from Ennis to the city of Paris, Texas, linking a southern terminus of the St.
1885Architecture
However, in 1885—just three years into construction—the H&TC went into receivership after only building half of the line, stopping just south of the city of Quinlan.
1891Culture
In 1891, the H&TC chose Ennis to be its northern division headquarters.
1892Architecture
The city built the first of three lakes for this purpose: Old City Lake in 1892, followed by New Lake in 1895, and Lake Clark (an extension of New Lake) in 1940.
1901History
Eventually, the CT&N was merged into the H&TC in 1901.
1902Economy
On July 14, 1902, the Corsicana Oil Citys of the Texas League moved that day's game against Texarkana to Ennis, due to Sunday blue laws in Coriscana.
1913Military
From 1913 to 1941, Ennis was a stop along the Dallas-Corsicana Line, but the rise of the automobile, decline in ridership, and the economic strain of World War II led to the sus...
1920History
By 1920, 152,601 bales of cotton were ginned and shipped from Ellis County, the most of any county in America.
1928Government
However, this southern extension never came to fruition and the Texas Midland eventually was bought out and annexed by Southern Pacific in 1928, which leased the line to its sub...
1934Infrastructure
However, H&TC was later acquired by the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, a subsidiary of Southern Pacific, in 1934.
1938History
First hosted in Kachina Prairie Park in 1938, the Bluebonnet Trails have since expanded into a route of several dozen miles along rural farm roads throughout the surrounding cou...
1942Architecture
A washout of the bridge spanning the Trinity River led to the official abandonment and decommissioning of the line between Ennis and Kaufman in 1942.
1950Architecture
The current building was completed in 1950, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and was also designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1985.
1951History
The routes for these sightseeing excursions have been officially hosted and mapped out by the Ennis Garden Club since 1951.
1955History
Texas and New Orleans' Sunbeam and Hustler services were cut in 1955 and 1957, respectively, after serving the city since the T&NO's takeover of the H&TC.
1961History
Ten years after the T&NO's merger into Southern Pacific in 1961, Southern Pacific initially resisted attempts to route the Lone Star along the line through Ennis in the early 19...
1967Culture
== Arts and culture ==
=== Events ===
The National Polka Festival is a three-day festival that has been hosted annually since 1967 during the Memorial Day weekend to commemor...
1986Architecture
Texas Motorplex in Ennis is a quarter-mile drag-racing facility built in 1986 by former funny car driver Billy Meyer.
1989History
In 1989, a spur of the Texas Eagle—the successor of the Lone Star service—running from Dallas to Houston ran nonstop through the city during the alternate service's three-year s...
1996Infrastructure
In 1996, Southern Pacific merged into Union Pacific Railroad, which now serves as the sole rail operator in the city, maintaining a yard and local base of operations for the Enn...
2004Architecture
Galaxy Drive-In Theatre first opened in 2004 with only three screens.
2013Disaster
between downtown and Interstate 45 was hit by a tornado on May 15, 2013, rendering four homes uninhabitable and damaging as many as 55 businesses.
2015History
Further restoration and revitalization plans were implemented in the Downtown Comprehensive Plan, and the city was admitted to the Texas Main Street Program in January 2015.
2024Culture
Ennis was part of the path of totality during the Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, with the centerline of the eclipse passing through the northern part of the town.